Art To A T Today`s T-shirts Are A Real Piece Of Work -- Artwork, That Is. And They`re Bigger Than Ever, In More Ways Than One.

June 14, 1987|By ELIZABETH SNEAD, Fashion Writer

Thinking about T-shirts? Well, think backward. Then forward.

From Brando`s tight whites back in the `50s to the tie-dyes of the psychedelic `60s to the `80s block-lettered Frankie Say styles, T-shirts have done some real time traveling. And have survived to become couture classics. The garment that will never say die.

``T-shirts are a wardrobe staple for both men and women. The neck may grow or shrink. The sleeves may change. But the basic T-shirt never goes out of style,`` says Karen Fischer, assistant merchandise manager for Jockey International, Kenosha, Wis.

And today the T-shirt has grown in more than just popularity. No, it`s not your imagination. T-shirts are bigger than ever. In fact, oversized is where it`s at.

``At least two companies I deal with don`t make smalls anymore,`` says Jerry Miles, owner of J. Miles Clothing Co. in Fort Lauderdale. Miles used to order one or two larges. But now large is the bulk of an order with Extra Large thrown in for good measure.

``T-shirts are looser and more fashiony. Our measurements have definitely increased. The shoulders have dropped, the sleeves are bigger and the hems are longer,`` Fischer says.

But the T-shirt still says something about the wearer. Modern model T`s flit from the down and dirty comedy club to the uptown art museum. Emblazoned on today`s chests are designs ranging from biting social or political satire to computer enhanced laser graphic designs that may seem more at home hung on a living room wall.

Miles opened his sportswear shop five years ago. He started with only one shirt. Today he estimates 90 percent of his business comes from selling T`s. He scours the sportswear markets from California to New York for the most bizarre, diverse and stunning designs.

And he`s finding a lot of funny stuff. ``Comedy is really coming back in T- shirts,`` Miles says. ``Possibly it`s because of our unsteady political situation.``

Some of Miles` best-selling T`s are by clothing comedian Stanley Desantis. Ten years ago, Desantis, then a hungry New York actor, began doing kids T`s. Then he moved to LA to act in a TV show. (The Paper Chase for you nosey folks out there.)

Living in a boarding house with just $300 to his name, Desantis started designing comic relief T-shirts. First off the drawing board was the now classic ``Surrender Dorothy,`` followed closely by the infamous ``Ward: I`m worried about the Beaver.`` Then came the scrawled note to Auntie Em -- ``Hate You. Hate Kansas. Taking the Dog. D.``

Desantis now has more than 700 designs on the T market. His shirts are in the Smithsonian Institution. And in amusement parks. You`ve probably seen them. From ``I Love Lucy`` to ``Pee-wee Herman`` to ``Invaders From New Jersey`` to ``Who the Hell is Rula Lenska ..... `` And that home-grown operation? It`s now a multimillion-dollar enterprise headquartered on Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles.

Is nothing sacred when it comes to T-shirt humor? Apparently not. ``I have found that when I censor my humor, the shirts just don`t work,`` Desantis says. ``I have to go with my heart.`` His latest scathingly unsacred shirts run rabid commentary on the sex scandalousness of the PTL.

``I think we should try to laugh at the situtation,`` Desantis explains. ``The more we laugh, the more we talk about it and that`s always good. Besides, laughing breaks the ice.``

Some T`s take a slighty warped outlook on life. There`s the horrifyingly popular ``sicko humor`` of the Road Kill T (an animal with tire tracks over it). And the T that portrays the various squeak-pop death noises animals might make in a microwave oven. All courtesy of the California T-shirt company called ``Too Cool To Be On Earth.``

But T-shirts are more than just bizarre social commentary chic. They are also a means of communication for the people who wear them and for the folks who design them.

``T-shirts are a way for me to reach people and give them my outlook on life. Obviously,`` Desantis adds, ``I am not a Republican.``

But as politics comes and politics goes, art remains constant. And several new artists are using the T-shirt as a kind of modern canvas. And they are reaching a larger audience then ever before.

The late designer Willi Smith was one of the first to catch the T-shirt-as- art wave. In 1983, Smith designed two shirts for the workers on Christo`s Biscayne Bay Surrounded Islands project.

``They sold 8,000 off the truck the first day,`` says Mark Bozek, head of public relations for Williwear.